Google's next Nexus phone feels like it's so close we can almost touch it. Leaks of the Nexus 6 have been getting bigger and better in recent weeks, and as we approach the Nexus 5's first birthday, all eyes are on Google to see when it plans to go public with what's looking like it will be the first Nexus phablet. As smartphone fans know, one key step on the road to a handset's release is it getting its FCC certification – that's why so many eyes today are turning to a new set of FCC docs from Motorola. Are they really for the Nexus 6, though, or could there be another explanation. The ...

Well this is unexpected: HTC's got its “double exposure” event coming up next week on October 8, when we're expecting to see it launch new models like that selfie-optimized Desire Eye. But even though we're still five days away from that shindig, at least one new HTC phone is breaking cover a little early, as the Desire 612 makes itself known on Verizon's website. While the 612's not listed among the HTC models Verizon advertises for sale, we do find the phone hiding away as the newest entry to the carrier's page of support docs for HTC handsets. The listing there gives us a thumbnail ...

Leaks concerning the Motorola-made Nexus 6 have seriously been on the upswing over the past week or two, and just yesterday we had the opportunity to get one of our best looks at the handset yet, spotted out getting some real-world testing. So while our general questions about this handset's existence may be fading under the mountain of evidence that continues to arrive, plenty of specifics have remained unclear. One of those important details concerns availability; sure, Google may start selling the Nexus 6 in just a couple more weeks, but once it does, what carriers will you be able to ...

Sometimes it feels like we rarely have kind words to say about a carrier. If we're not complaining about them being in bed with everyone from hardware manufacturers to the companies behind mobile platforms, we're raising the alarm about throttling or indefensibly high data pricing. But they're not all abject monsters, and it's nice to pay attention to one of them when they're doing something positive. That's where we find ourselves this evening, as Verizon does its part to raise awareness about domestic violence. Verizon has aligned itself with Philadelphia’s Women Against Abuse for its ...

Unlike last year's Moto X, which ultimately saw support from all the major carriers here in the US, the new 2014 Moto X won't be quite so ubiquitous. Sprint's out of the running this year, leaving the other players to pick up the slack. We saw pre-orders for the smartphone open a while back, and early ones – at least on AT&T – should have already shipped out to customers. Tomorrow begins a new chapter in the Moto X's availability, as Verizon gets ready to welcome the handset to its stable. Obviously, if you're looking to do the Moto Maker thing with a Verizon Moto X, that's going ...

Samsung's newest smartwatch is a bit different than the previous Gear models, in that it can function as a standalone device rather than just a smartphone companion. That's why it's important that mobile network operators decide to carry the watch, and Samsung has definitely made availability a priority with this Samsung Gear S US release. The wearable is headed to the US this fall for AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile. First of all, we went hands-on with the device when we were in Berlin for IFA 2014, so be sure to check out our video of the Gear S if you're considering making a ...

After re-activating a few weeks back, Verizon's DroidLanding Twitter account – expected to lead us towards the launch of a new Droid smartphone – has been almost suspiciously silent; is this device still happening? Rumors have insisted as much, most recently claiming that an October launch is in the works. As we wait to see if Verizon and Motorola have any press event planned, we're getting our first look at the anticipated hardware, as pics leak of this apparent Droid Turbo. Motorola Droid phones on Verizon certainly have a distinct look to them, and it doesn't appear that the Turbo ...

It's pretty obvious at this point that a new Motorola Droid is coming to Verizon. The DroidLanding Twitter account went active earlier this month, and FCC docs have helped offer some evidence to back up rumors about the device we've been calling the Motorola Quark, which may launch as the Droid Turbo. But just when could we expect this puppy to go official? Based on the timing of last year's Droid launches in comparison to DroidLanding activity, we guessed that an October launch might be likely, and now that idea gets some new support. CNET claims to have heard from its sources that an ...

Do subsidized on-contract smartphone sales make a lot of sense? We could (and in the past, have) argue that point until the cows come home, but whether through choice or chance of fate, let's say you find yourself in that on-contract wagon. Record numbers of smartphone users are pre-ordering the iPhone 6 right now, so what do you do if you find yourself craving Apple's latest handset, but it's not quite time for you to upgrade just yet? If you're a Verizon user, you may be in luck, as the carrier confirms early upgrade support for certain subscribers. Basically, if you're with Verizon but ...

For as high-tech as our smartphones are, the voice calls they make decidedly aren't. Phones have long been held back by legacy voice standards, failing to take full advantage of the bandwidth and processing power of modern handsets. Luckily for us, salvation awaits in the form of voice over LTE, or VoLTE. Last month, Verizon shared its plans to activate its own VoLTE network in the weeks to come, and today we get word that it's getting things started, going live with what it's calling Advanced Calling 1.0. With Verizon VoLTE now active, how can you take advantage of it? Well, for the ...

Those of you Motorola fans who have been able to see past all the buzz surrounding the Moto 360, the new Moto X and Moto G models, and all the fun little accessories the manufacturer has just announced may have noticed us talking about the possibility of having a new Droid model launch for Verizon. That all really picked up earlier this month when the old DroidLanding Twitter account got back into action, most recently hinting at a Droid with support for Motorola's Turbo Charger. We had already discussed the possibility of a Droid Turbo, a phone that may have been under development as ...

Back at the start of the month, before we were neck-deep in IFA coverage, followed by Apple's launch event, we picked up on some new activity over at the old DroidLanding Twitter account. In the past, the account would spring to life in the weeks leading up to the arrival of some new Motorola Droid models for Verizon. A couple days back, the account delivered a new message, mentioning fast phone charging being a “big deal.” What are Motorola and Verizon up to here? Well, the key is probably the Motorola Turbo Charger, which the company introduced alongside its latest phones last week. ...

It used to be that Verizon was the carrier that least cared about Windows Phone. AT&T always pioneered product launches, and remained the exclusive carrier of the operating system for months before other carriers joined, and even then, Verizon took ages to do so as well. Today Verizon is carrying the cream of the crop when it comes to Windows Phone by holding exclusivity over the Lumia Icon, HTC One M8 for Windows, and if you thought the list ended there, Verizon is at it for more. Big Red is reportedly picking up the Lumia 735 in the next few weeks. This is still not yet official, but ...

Last week, Motorola finally opened the Moto 360 floodgates, bringing us the start of sales nearly half a year after the smartwatch was first announced. And sure enough, you could drop $250 and pick up a shiny new Moto 360 for yourself – well, as long as stocks held out, at least. But that was only one of the 360 options Motorola announced, also revealing plans to sell a Moto 360 with a premium metal band. Problem was, the only ETA we got for that was “sometime this fall.” Now we're starting to close in on exactly when the Moto 360 with a steel band might be available, with a carrier ...

Motorola's got a lot in its pipeline right now. We're expecting new Moto X and Moto G models later this week, and rumors have been wild about the possibility of Motorola hardware forming the basis for Google's next Nexus phone, as well as maybe some of the early Android Silver lineup. While these devices have captured much of our Motorola attention, we've also heard a little about Verizon maybe getting some new Droid-series handsets. Now that's feeling like an increasingly likely outcome, as the long-dormant DroidLanding Twitter account springs back to life. You may recall we saw the ...

The new Moto X will be going official this week, but we're all still thirsty for information regarding the device. One thing we've thought was almost certain since the leak train started rolling in early April was the name: in one of the first leaks of the phone, the name "Moto X+1" was dropped, and in subsequent leaks it came up over and over again. Today, though, we're hearing new information, as the name may not be Moto X+1 at all. According to sources of Phandroid at Verizon, the company's internal computer system shows the device simply as "The new Moto X." This isn't all that ...

A couple weeks back, we were talking about the idea of smartphones that dropped all their 2G/3G radios in favor of going 4G-only, relying on LTE for everything from voice to data. While such an arrangement could offer some very real benefits, it sounded like we were still pretty far off, and hearing about Verizon's progress towards thatgoal, it was looking like we still might have another two years to wait. One of the stepping stones along the way, before losing the 2G/3G hardware, would be transitioning existing services over to LTE, and for years now we've been waiting to see voice ...

Overnight, we shared with you news of what looked like yet another in a growing number of Motorola Androids nearly ready to launch, the Moto Luge for Verizon. There was mention of an intriguing new service called Moto Aware, and we looked forward to learning more about the hardware. But now a little more info on this model has managed to make its way public, and the story it's putting together is one that's feeling less and less interesting. What's the problem? The Moto Luge appears to be little more than a re-branded RAZR M, a smartphone that launched a solid two years ago. When we first ...

In case you haven't noticed, it really looks like Motorola is getting wild this year. Apart from the rumors surrounding the new Moto X and G iterations, leaks of new Verizon Droids and the Nexus X have also been fairly bountiful. But news out of left field has hit us today, as Motorola may have teamed up with Verizon to create the Moto Luge, and launch day may be just later this week. According to a source of TK Tech News at Best Buy, this phone will be "specifically marketed to Verizon Prepaid customers," and there's support baked-in for Verizon's newly switched-on prepaid LTE ...

Someday, smartphones may beam images directly onto our retinas, offer near-ubiquitous broadband-speed connectivity, and last for days (if not weeks) on a single charge. But no matter how good they get, it seems inevitable that carriers will continue to find ways to mess with them. Maybe they're forcing OEMs to remove attractive features, blocking access to software, or just loading our phones up with bloat. Beyond the crap they pre-install, we've also seen carriers experiment with their own little app stores – forgettable efforts that offered little to get excited about. But while those ...

HTC, Microsoft, and Verizon came together this morning to announce one of the most high-profile Windows Phone handsets we've heard about in a while, the One M8 for Windows. We've already taken an in-depth look at this release, comparing its hardware against the cream of the WP crop, talked about what the phone means for the companies involved, and shared with you some pics of the hardware in action. Now we're taking our experience with the One M8 for Windows to the next logical level, bringing you a video hands-on with the new smartphone. We've seen the base M8 hardware before, so instead ...

Less than a month ago, some old rumors popped back up: HTC would supposedly release a version of its One M8 running Windows Phone. We heard the same thing about the One M7, and that never happened, and here we were four months removed from the One M8's launch, with talk that this cross-platform push could still be happening. But over the following days the “well wouldn't that be neat” idea quickly picked up momentum, and between the announcement of an August 19 HTC event and the discovery of evidence pointing to just such a WP One M8 getting ready for Verizon, this really looked like ...

It's one of the top buzzwords of the year in mobile technology: the sapphire screen. More appropriately called a sapphire crystal display, its remarkability lies not in clarity or resolution or thumb-feel ... but in saving us from our oafish, clumsy-handed selves. Sapphire crystal is hard, see – harder than anything on the good 'ole Mohs hardness scale except diamond (as we discussed in a piece last year on why sapphire is awesome). And since we don't generally carry diamonds in our pockets on the regular, the thinking goes that a sapphire screen would be harder than anything that could ...

The HTC One M8 on Verizon still hasn't pushed past Android 4.4.2, but if tweets from HTC Americas President Jason Mackenzie and Product Management VP Mo Versi are to be believed, that Verizon HTC One M8 Android 4.4.3 update may be happening very soon. As Mackenzie describes it, the update will be pushed out "by mid-Sept," which doesn't exactly leave us happy at all, considering that Android 4.4.4 is already out (and we're expecting Android L in just a few short months), but hey, it's something. Versi adds to Mackenzie's information by stating that the release is on track for a release in ...

Tomorrow is August 19, which means that HTC's next press event is nearly upon us. While the company hasn't out and confirmed what it will be announcing, nor does the event invitation itself hint at the product to expect, a number of signs have been pointing to the company revealing a Windows Phone-running version of its Android One M8. The latest bit of circumstantial evidence turns up at this late hour, with the release of an image showing off some in-store Verizon promotional material for a WP8 One M8. We spot a couple things of interest here. First is that name, and there's no HTC One ...